section i: the fundamentals of wine chapter 3: the winery – from grapes to bottle
TRANSCRIPT
Section I: The Fundamentals Section I: The Fundamentals of Wineof Wine
Chapter 3: The Winery – From Grapes to Bottle
IntroductionIntroduction
Wine is grape juice that’s been fermented by yeast.
Table wine• Wine that accompanies food• Most common wine consumed in the United States
Still wine = wine without effervescence Dry wine = without sweetness
The Process of FermentationThe Process of Fermentation
Yeast converting the sugar in grape juice to alcohol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process
Yeast ferments sugar to produce energy to sustain life and reproduce.
The species of yeast best suited for winemaking is called Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Degrees Brix is the most common way to measure sugar content in North America.
Factors Affecting FermentationFactors Affecting Fermentation
Temperature Acidity Nutrients Alcohol Sugar
RED WINE CRUSH AND RED WINE CRUSH AND FERMENTATIONFERMENTATION
Functions of the stemmer-crusher:• Takes the berries off the stems• Breaks the berries open to release the juice
Sulfur dioxide is the most common additive in wine. After it’s crushed, the juice from most red wine varieties
is clear. Red wine color is extracted out of the berry skins. A vigorously mixed cap results in a wine with more color,
body and astringency. Winemakers sometimes employ a cold soak before
fermentation to increase the extraction of color and tannins.
CARBONIC MACERATION AND CARBONIC MACERATION AND EXTENDED MACERATIONEXTENDED MACERATION
Carbonic Maceration• A portion or all of the grapes are loaded into the tank
as whole clusters.• The weight of the fruit cruses some of the berries at
the bottom and releases juice. Extended Maceration
• Fruit is crushed and fermented with typical cap management.
• Tank is topped off with similar wine from another tank.
• Skins are left in contact with the young wine for 1-8 weeks.
Pressing the SkinsPressing the Skins
Occurs when fermentation is complete and the winemaker is satisfied with flavor extraction
Free run = the first wine to come off Press fraction = the wine removed at the end
of the press cycles Pomace = dried skins used for compost
WHITE WINE CRUSH AND WHITE WINE CRUSH AND FERMENTATIONFERMENTATION
Special effort required to handle the grapes gently and transport them quickly to the winery
Juice is separated from skins before fermentation
Fruit can be:• Crushed and pressed• Crushed, dejuiced and pressed• Whole-cluster pressed
After pressing, the juice is pumped to a settling tank in the fermentation cellar.
White fermentations take two to three times longer than red fermentations.
MALOLACTIC FERMENTATIONMALOLACTIC FERMENTATION
Malic acid = found in many fruits Tartaric acid = unique to grapes Malolactic bacteria uses malic acid as an
energy source for growth Malolactic fermentation has several effects on
wine:• Deacidification• Makes wine more microbiologically stable• Produces a compound with a distinct buttery
character
Barrels and AgingBarrels and Aging
The qualities that barrel aging gives wine are so positive that barrels are still used for winemaking.
Reactions during aging:• Wine undergoes a slow oxidation.• Wine absorbs flavor components from the wood.
Oak is the chosen wood for wine-barrel production. Beyond the type of Oak used, a barrels flavor
depends on:• The forest the wood is from• How the wood is seasoned• The various methods of production
Barrels and Aging (cont.)Barrels and Aging (cont.)
Much of the flavor obtained from aging wine in barrels comes from what is extracted out of the oak.
However, the softening of the wine’s texture is due to the process of slow oxidation.
Time spent in oak depends on the winemaker’s taste and the body of the wine being made.
In moderately priced wines, the cost of aging in barrels can be prohibitive.
Finishing a WineFinishing a Wine
After aging is complete, the wine is pumped out of the barrel and sent to the tank cellar.
Wines can be bottled from a single vineyard or batch, but more often different lots are blended together.
Sometimes winemakers will blend before or in the middle of the aging process to give the blend time to harmonize in the barrel.
After the blend is selected, two more steps must be completed before wine is ready to be bottled: clarification and stability.
Finishing a Wine (cont.)Finishing a Wine (cont.)
The simplest and most gentle form of clarification is settling and racking.
The most common fining agent is bentonite. Filtering is another way to get clarity prior to
bottling. Although a wine that is not fined or filtered
may be less brilliant and less stable, it retains more of its natural flavor.
BottlingBottling
Before bottling, the wine is analyzed and checked for stability one final time.
Any necessary adjustments are made. The wine is then sent to the bottling room. If the bottles are sealed with a cork, they are then sent
to a capsule machine to have a capsule applied to cover the neck and the cork.
The final steps of applying the label and packing the bottles into cases then take place.
Bottling is some of the roughest treatment a wine will receive and can leave a wine with less fruity aromas and body for a period of time (bottle shock).
Sparkling WineSparkling Wine
Wine with bubbles or effervescence First developed in the Champagne region of
France in the 1700s The result of cork and bottling innovations Because of the tight seal, when the wines
finish fermenting, carbon dioxide is trapped, giving them their effervescence.
Méthode champenoise = process used to make sparkling wine of the highest quality
Sparkling Wine (cont.)Sparkling Wine (cont.)
Since the Champagne region is very cool, the grapes used for making sparkling wines are early ripeners.
The grapes used for sparkling wine are picked earlier than those used for still wines.
The base wine should be low in alcohol and should not have a lot of varietal character.
Press cycles for sparkling wine are longer.
Other Methods of Sparkling Other Methods of Sparkling Wine ProductionWine Production
Charmat process• Instead of having the secondary alcoholic
fermentation take place in the bottle, it takes place in large steel tanks.
• After fermentation, the wine is racked off and the yeast is filtered out under pressure.
• The grapes that are used for the Charmat process are typically less expensive varieties
Little used methods to make sparkling wine:• Transfer method• Artificial carbonation
Dessert and Fortified WinesDessert and Fortified Wines
Dessert wines• Made with appreciable sugar• Have higher alcohol to stabilize the wine and prevent
it from fermenting in the bottle Fortified wines
• Have had the addition of brandy during processing• Can be either sweet or dry
Late Harvest WinesLate Harvest Wines
Made from grapes picked at a much higher sugar level than grapes used for table wines.
Achieve this higher level of sugar concentration due to the fruit partially dehydrating on the vine.
This dehydration is increased by an infection of a mold that is usually considered a vineyard nuisance.
Port-style WinesPort-style Wines
Full-bodied red wines that have about 10 percent sugar and 20 percent alcohol.
Native to the Douro River wine region in northern Portugal
Have their fermentation stopped halfway through while the must is still very sweet
Intensely colored red grape varieties are used for winemaking.
SherrySherry
Originated in Spain Defining characteristic is that it is purposely
oxidized.• This gives Sherry its distinctive roasted nut aroma.
Neutral grape varieties are used for Sherry production.
Most popular style Sherry is the full-bodies oloroso.
The traditional method of aging Sherry is done in a fractional barrel system called a solera.
Flavored WinesFlavored Wines
A wine made from grapes that has been augmented with natural flavorings such as herbs, spices, honey and fruit juice
Origin goes back to ancient times when herbs and spices were added wine to cover up imperfections
The Attributes of WineThe Attributes of Wine
Wine is a complex mixture of nearly 1,000 different, naturally occurring chemical compounds.
These constituents come from three sources: • The compounds that are present in grape juice• The compounds that are produced by microorganisms
fermenting the grape juice• The compounds that are added by the processing and aging
of the wine Wine is mostly made up of water, then alcohol. Chemicals in wine are determined by:
• Grape variety• The vineyards’ terroir• The production decisions made by the winemaker and grower